Getaway






My husband is one sneaky man. Friday morning he handed me an envelope with a sweet note telling me to pack a bag for the night. At the same moment my sister showed up to watch the kiddos. While riding in the car he handed me another envelope with a print out of the hotel we were staying, the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta. He say's he choose this hotel because he thought I would love the design which I did. As we neared the hotel he handed me another envelope with a good amount of money to spend on whatever I fancied. Needless to say we had a blast and I felt beyond special. I am quite smitten with my man I must say.

Oh, and what did I buy? I fabulous dress from Club Monaco and an insane amount Ribba frames for a new gallery wall we are working on. I will share both soon. I even have money left over for future desires, so fun.

Surprises


I just love a good surprise although I am not too keen on waiting for one when I know there is one to be had. My husband has been teasing me with a so called surprise for the last couple of weeks now. He says this is the weekend for me to get it. My skin is crawling with excitement. He says its not only good, but really good. He knows me well and I am already certain I will love it. I will be sure to share next week. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

Oh, and I almost forgot how much I love having fresh flowers in the house. They really can brighten up the dreariest of days.

Caroline Joy


I won this fabulous Caroline Joy cardigan from Federica of Sweet as a Candy. I like to think if I ever needed a place to stay in Italy she would welcome me with open arms. I am sure she would not think I was some sort of loon, ha! Anyway, Caroline Joy takes cardigans that have had a "previous life" and then give them a second chance with added detail. I was a little nervous about the quality of cardigan with a previous life, but this one is perfection. It is extremely soft and such a yummy plum color. She has such an eye for detail and I could not be anymore thrilled.


Oh, and this is me and my Ellie. That boo boo on her chin is from leaning on a pan that just came out of the oven, yikes.

Thank you Federica and Caroline Joy for such a precious gift that I am sure will get so much wear.

Joyful


This past weekend we finally put up our tree. I do not recommend waiting till the week of Christmas to find a tree because the pickings are quite slim. This year our tree is a bit on the sad side. Our normal huge tree filled with ornaments and our home all decked out just did not happen this year. Since my sinus surgery I have been functioning at 50% on a good day, but the good days are not many. Oh, and did I mention I blacked out and wrecked my car with my son in it. At first they were going to total it, but now it seems they are going to try to fix it but I won't have it back any time soon. Oh, and my son was fine, praise God. So this is my sad excuse to go along with our sad tree, but on a high note my kiddos LOVE it and that's all that really matters.



I only grabbed our favorite ornaments for the tree this year. Less clean up for later. Every year for Christmas my kiddos each get a new Krinkles ornament. My plan is when they grow up and have their own families I will give them the ornaments to hang on their tree.


I also added mercury glass acorns from Pottery Barn. I bought them last year after Christmas and got them for a steal. I just adore them.

So our tree may be pitiful, but we are full of joy. It is still Christmas time and it is a time to celebrate, woo hoo!

Smitten with Lonny








The second issue of Lonny Magazine came out and it is a knock out. The magazine encompasses a fabulous gift guide, home tours to drool over, fashion, and much much more. What I loved most was seeing Nina Freudenberger shop Haus Interior. The aesthetic airs on the the masculine side and I am smitten with it. I absolutely love the patterned wall and have been wracking my brain on where I could recreate this look. The article is a must a read and starts on page 138.

A Few of my Favorite Things


Fancy me.


Love this dress from Bellebas found on etsy.


A pretty much want this. {Hubby this would make an amazing stocking stuffer, just sayin}


These shoe clips sure could dress up any pair of shoes.


I rather like this pretty neckline.


This fabric sings to me.

While I was at the beach I received a year book type award for best looking blog. I was among some of the best blogs out there, needless to say I was flattered. Thank you Sidney for including me, it was almost as good as getting Miss Hayden High School, ha! Oh yes, you heard me right I was a pageant girl.


I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Today I am volunteering at Ellie's preschool for the first time, yippee!

My Weekend

Sorry for the none post yesterday, things have been busy around here. As for the highlights, Saturday was my birthday and I was the recipient of some fabulous gifts...


I recieved this fabulous purse from my love, my kiddos got me a heart rate monitor watch for the gym, my parents gave me a wonderful gift card to my favorite store Home Goods, and my sisters gave me a gift card to Ulta. I racked up nicely I would say.


That evening we shot a wedding that could not have been any more beautiful. I will do a full post later, but here is a shot from her bridal session. More to see on Kellen Jacob.


My dear friend from this baby shower finally had her baby boy on my birthday. He is beautiful, but had a few complications and will be able to come home tomorrow, praise God.

Hubby and I rounded off the weekend with a much needed date night.

How was your weekend?

Shopping Hiatus {2} + Etsy Love

I am so excited to say that I did not shop this week! If anything I was a bit of a scrooge. I feel as if I have everything I need and am not in want. Of course, this all can change in matter of moments I am learning, but for now I feel good. One thing I am always in need of are gifts. As you may or may not know I normally make my own baby shower gifts, but I always add a little something extra, well, I found my extra. My dear friend Brooke from the fabulous blog Blueprint Bliss has opened an etsy shop, Blueprint Bliss Designs. Here are some goodies for baby...




Oh, and wouldn't a personalized home drawing make for an amazing house warming, birthday, or any time gift...


Brooke also has sweet birth announcements and invites for you or a little one.

Now I am ready to go shop, just kidding. I hope you all are having a lovely day.

Shirt Tutorial




This is one of my favorite gifts to give at a baby shower. It's a bit time consuming, but so worth it in the end to be able to give such a personal and unique gift. I also make them for my daughter, son, and random friends who need a specific design...


You will need:


freezer paper
x-acto knife
fabric paint
iron
paintbrush

And here's how to do it...

1. using a pencil, trace/draw image onto non-waxy side of freezer paper. My main sources are from books and the internet. i use a yellow pencil, a real pencil may mix with the paint, but you could also just erase.

2. cut out image with the x-acto knife. once cut, toss the cut-out and keep the negative image. make sure the cut-out is nice and smooth, clean up where the cuts are rough.

3. iron a big piece of freezer paper (the waxy side will melt to the shirt and will not leave a residue later) on the backside of the front of the shirt. This keeps the paint from seeping through to the back of the shirt.

4. iron on the negative image to the front of the shirt where you want it. be sure all the edges of the stencil are flat without any gaps or rippling. you want the line to be smooth.

5. paint with fabric paint. use nice thin layers, no goopiness. repeat as necessary till you get the color you want. follow the directions on the paint some require to be heat set after it dries. i use tulip fabric paint (not the puff paint) and it does not require it.

6. set aside and allow to dry. i always let mine set over night.

7. pull off the freezer paper stencil and backing. you now have a fabulous gift.

Let me know if you have any further questions! Have fun creating.

side note: If you happen to be local and happen to have the same friends as I just keep in mind these are the baby and children gifts I give}

{tutorial given to me by katiedid quite awhile back, thanks Katie!}

My Valentine

We don't do much for Valentine's Day, but I do try to do a little something especially since we have kids. This year we did a book to tell daddy/hubby how much we love him. I so got the idea from here, but we did our own take. I used mostly what I already had, but I did buy the accordion book by Martha Stewart at Micheal's with the 40% off coupon.








Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Thank You!

I love this idea from Oh, Hello Friend. It is such a clever and beautiful way to tell someone you love them. I may have to do it for a special someone too.




Be sure to check out her blog, it's new to me. Full of extra inspiration and lovely images.

I also wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful responses to yesterday's post. You all inspired me and gave me an extra boost of strength. I feel very blessed through all the connections I have been able to make through his little blog of mine. Thank you, thank you!


Have a wonderful weekend!

isn't she lovely


So I must be honest, the wonderful lady over at simplesong made me a bit nervous about missing out on getting my favorite calendar. As the story goes she waited too long and they were, well, gone. I had my list of favorites and then I kept on seeing this lovely calendar pop up on all my favorite blogs. Everytime I would see her I would just melt. Isn't she just beautiful? I thank you Hello Handmade for my new calendar.

Here are some others that may also make the cut...


the first is from bubbo. I have bought from her before and love her work. The second is from the very talented lady over at My life{as a Sugar Lander}. Her calendars are not out yet, but I am still so very excited.

this could mean trouble

This weekend I found Calista Cove online shoppe. It carries some pretty fabulous stuff. Most that I can not afford, but then I found the daily deal! This is not just a few dollars off, it's a huge reduction. Saturday, I found this body creme. Originally $28.00 each, for only .99. Shipping is where they kind of get you, it was about $10.00. I got four so my total was just under $15.00. I personally think this is great, think about it that's 3 gifts under $15.00 and I get to keep one for myself. How fun is that!

p.s. if you happen to read my blog and happen to receive this as a gift then you should already know I am a bargain hunter, ha!